Bridge for resistance measurement



Aug. 18, 1953 R. J. SMITH 2,649,571

BRIDGE FOR RESISTANCE MEASUREMENT Filed April 18, 1947 0 0 o 30 24 x Z flMPLIF/Ei? 5 O ,swp

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Robert $5772 Z 292 Patented Aug. 18, 1953 2,649,571 BRIDGE FOR RESISTANCE MEASUREMENT Robert J. Smith, Elmhurst, Ill., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the United States Atomic Energy Commission Application April 18, 1947, Serial No. 742,251

4 Claims.

This invention relates to. an improvement in a method and means for measuring electrical impedances. More specifically, the invention concerns a novel ratio-arm bridge particularly well adapted for the measurement of resistances of high orders of magnitude and to an improved method for making such measurements.

A ratio-arm bridge such as a Wheatstone bridge is commonly used in the measurement of ordinary resistances. (It Will be understood that the terms resistance or impedance as used herein and in the appended claim refers to the usual linear resistance or other electrical impedance, in which the current is directly proportional to the applied voltage.) Such bridges are commonly brought to balance by variation of a resistance which constitutes one of the ratio-arms. As is well known in the art, it is a requisite for high sensitivity in determining the null point that the resistances which constitute the other arms of the bridge should be of the same order of magnitude as the resistance under measurement. Such bridges, therefore, do not afford a satisfactory means for measuring resistances of the order of 10 to 10 ohms, since it is impossible presently to obtain continuously variable resistances of these orders of magnitude. Furthermore, in measuring such resistances in this manner, it is necessary to impress upon the resistance under measurement substantial voltages. Since it is characteristic of such resistances that the ohmic value varies with applied voltage, a measurement so obtained is not an accurate indication of the ohmic value in low-voltage applications.

Accordingly, it is the principal object of this invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for the measurement of high resistances of the order of 10 to 10 ohms.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel ratio-arm bridge suitable for the measurement of high resistances.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for determining the balance or null point of a ratioarm bridge.

For understanding of the invention, reference is made to the drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic electrical diagram of a basic form of ratio-arm bridge embodying the teachings of this invention; and

Fig. 2 is a schematic electrical diagram of a practical and convenient detailed embodiment of the basic bridge illustrated in Fig. 1.

Referring first to Fig. 1, a variable voltage I,

source EA and a fixed voltage source Es are connected in series, the negative terminal of the former being connected to the positive terminal of the latter. The positive terminal of the variable voltage source EA is connected to the unknown resistance Rx under measurement, which is in turn connected toone terminal of a standard resistance Rs, the value of which is known. The other terminal of the standard resistance Rs is connected, in turn, to the negative terminal of the fixed voltage source Es. A shorting switch S1 is connected between the junction point P1 between the voltage sources and the junction point P2 between the resistances. The voltage across the resistance Rs appears at the output terminals T and T2.

When the switch S1 is open the voltage across the resistor Rs is equal to the quantity When the switch S1 is closed, the voltage across the resistance Rs equals Es. It may readily be shown that if the ratio of EA to Es is the same as the ratio of Rx to Rs, then in either condition of the switch S1, the voltage across the resistance Rs equals Es. In any other condition of the bridge, the voltage across the resistance Rs will change as the switch S1 is opened and closed. Therefore, by variation of the variable voltage source EA, a condition may be induced such that the voltage appearing between the terminals T1 and T2 does not change as the shorting switch S1 is opened and closed. The value of the voltage source Es being known, and the value of the voltage source EA being known as, for example, by calibration or measurement, the ratio of the unknown resistance Rx to the known standard resistance Rs may readily be computed.

It will be seen that the basic circuit of Fig. 1 requires no variation of high resistances in order to achieve balance. Furthermore, the apparatus and method for determining the null point offers great advantage in the measurement of high resistances. In a conventional bridge, the measurement would be made either with a sensitive galvanometer or with a vacuum-tube microammeter. Sensitive galvanometers are, of course, delicate and awkward to handle. The vacuum tube microammeter is likewise not satisfactory in such an application because it is necessary with such a device to make relatively complex adjustments before making each measurement in order to obviate errors due to drift in the vacuumtween the contacts 20.

tube microammeter. The null-indicating point is subject to drift in such a device, and it is, therefore, necessary to set this null-indicating point each time before the unknown resistance Rx is inserted into the bridge. With the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 1, drift in the instrument which is used to measure the voltage drop across the resistance Rs will have no appreciable efiect on the validity of the measurement. It is only necessary that the null point remain constant for the very short time which is required to close or open the switch.

An additional advantage of the system of Fig. 1 is that very low voltages, of the order of tenths of a volt, may be impressed on both the unknown resistance and the standard resistance in mak ing the measurement.

In Fig. 2 there appears a circuit of a practical laboratory or production-line bridge for the measurement of a wide range of high value resistances embodying the basic circuit of Fig. 1.

A battery I0, for example 1.5 volts, supplies Voltage to a voltage divider generally designated by the numeral 12 which consists of eleven resistors it, one of the eleven being designated by the numeral Ma. The resistors I4 are preferably of low value, for example ohms. It is essential for proper operation that the resistors M be exactly equal in ohmic value. A variable resistor I6 is placed in series with the battery Ill and the voltage divider 12 in order to provide exact adjustment of the voltage supplied to the latter. The junction between the variable resistor is and the voltage divider l2 and the junctions between each of the resistors 14 are connected to the stationary terminals I! of a multi-position switch generally designated by the numeral IS. The switch l8 has two moving contacts 20 which are ganged together as indicated by the dotted line in the drawing. The ten positions of the switch 18 correspond to the contacts 20 being connected across each of the resistances I4, except the resistor designated as Ma.

A resistor 22, for example 3,000 ohms, having a continuously variable tap 24 is connected be- A microammeter 25 is connected in series with a resistor 26 between the tap 24 and one of the contacts 20 to constitute a voltmeter measuring the voltage appearing across the tapped portion of the resistance 22. The tap 24 is connected through the unknown resistance Rx to a point P2. The point P2 is also connected to one terminal of the shorting switch S1, the other terminal of which is connected to the point P1 between the end resistor Ma and the first of the other ten resistors I l. The point P2 is also connected to the stationary contact of a selector switch 21 which connects the point P2 to ground, and thus to the other terminal of the resistor [4a (which is grounded), through one of a number of standard high resistances Rs. The

resistances Rs are preferably of ohmic values equal to powers of 10, as for example, 10", 10 10 10 10 and 10 ohms. The point P2 is connected to the input of an amplifier and voltmeter 30 having an indicating meter 32 showing the voltage appearing at the input. Binding post terminals 34 are provided for ready insertion of resistors Rx under measurement.

It will readily be seen that the voltage appearing across the resistor Illa. of Fig. 2 corresponds to the voltage source Es of Fig. 1. Likewise the voltage appearing between the point P1 and the tap 24 of Fig. 2 corresponds to the voltage source order of magnitude than Rs.

4 EA of Fig. 1. Operation of the circuit illustrated in Fig. 2 is preferably as follows:

The switch I8 is moved to the maximum (uppermost, in the drawing) position. The switch S1 is opened and closed at various positions of the switch 21 until the order of magnitude of the unknown resistance Rx is determined. It will readily be seen that when the order of magnitude of the resistance Rx is greater than the value of the resistance Rs at any given position of the switch 21, the effect on the meter 32 of closing the switch S1 will be opposite in direction to that which will be produced when RX is of a lower The order of magnitude thus being ascertained, the switch 27 is left in the proper position and the switch I8 is operated so as to give a minimum deflection of the meter 32 by the opening and closing of the switch S1. The final adjustment in making the measurement is the adjustment of the tap 2 4 to eliminate the effect of opening and closing the switch S1 on the indication of the meter 32.

The determination of the values of unknown resistances Rx from the null positions of the switches 21 and 1B and the tap 24 can be made very simple. The switch 21 may have a panel dial indicating the magnitudes of the respective resistances Rs. The positions of the switch 18 may likewise be indicated by panel indications such as X1, X2, etc, increasing multipliers corresponding to greater values of EA (higher positions of the switch I8, in the drawing). The meter 25 preferably has a full scale deflection corresponding to the total voltage appearing across any one of the resistors [4, for example 0.1 volt. It may be calibrated from zero to 1.0 in, for example, steps of one tenth, as .1, .2, etc. Thus the value of the unknown resistance Rx may be read virtually directly.

As an example, suppose that the null position of the various controls mentioned above is as illustrated in the drawing. Then the position of the switch 21 would read, for example, 10 The position of the switch [8 would read 4. Suppose further that the indication of the meter Then the value of the resistance Rx is 4.55X10 ohms.

It will readily be seen that the slow drifts in the amplifier and voltmeter 30 will have no effect on the reading. However, in order that the decimal reading obtained from the meter 25 be accurate, it is necessary that the voltage across the voltage divider l2 be such that full scale defiection of the meter 25 is reached when the tap 24 is at the position of maximum voltage. Such adjustment may be made from time to time by means of the variable resistor I6.

When resistances of the order of greater than 10 ohms are under measurement, it may be necessary, because of the long time constants involved, to wait a few seconds after the closing or opening of the switch S1 to determine the effect on the indication of the meter 32.

It will be readily apparent that the usual precautions as to insulation resistance and cleanliness must be used in the physical construction of the device schematically illustrated in the drawing.

Persons skilled in the art will readily devise methods and apparatus utilizing the teachings of this invention other than those described above and illustrated in the drawing. For example, the method and means for indication of the null point of the ratio-arm bridge described above may readily be applied to other bridges. Likewise the bridge described above may be used with conventional types of null-detecting devices. Furthermore, persons skilled in the art will readily observe that similar devices and methods may be utilized in applications other than the measurement of resistances.

What is claimed is:

1. A bridge for the measurement of resistances comprising, in combination, a fixed standard source of voltage, a second source of voltage variable in value from zero to a value at least ten times the value of said standard source, said second source of voltage being connected in series with said standard source, a plurality of standard resistances having ohmic values corresponding approximately to integral powers of ten, switching means for selectively connecting one of said standard resistances in series with the voltage sources and with a resistance under measurement, shorting switch means for connecting and disconnecting the junction point between the standard resistance and the resistance under measurement with the junction point between said voltage sources, and means for measuring the voltage across the standard resistance.

2. A bridge for the measurement of resistance comprising: a series circuit having, in succession, a standard resistor, a fixed voltage source, a variable voltage source connected in series aiding, and two terminals connected respectively to the variable voltage source and to the standard resistor and adapted for the insertion of a resistor to be measured; switch means for directly connecting the junction of the voltage sources with the junction of the standard resistor and the terminal to which it is connected; and means for detecting a change in voltage across the 6 standard resistor as said junction points are connected and disconnected.

3. The bridge of claim 2 wherein there are provided a plurality of standard resistors having ohmic values corresponding to integral powers of 10, and switching means for selectively inserting said standard resistors, whereby the position of the switching means and the ratio of the variable voltage to the fixed voltage at bridge balance constitute a direct numerical indication of the value of an unknown resistance.

4. The bridge of claim 3 wherein the variable voltage source comprises 10 series-connected potential sources, each equal to the fixed voltage source, a resistor having a variable tap thereon, and switching means for connecting said resistor selectively across any one of said 10 potential sources, whereby the position of said last switching means and said tap constitute a direct decimal-system numerical indication of said voltage ratio at bridge balance.

ROBERT J. SMITH.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,917,417 Zuschlag July 11, 1933 2,094,318 Failla Sept. 28, 1937 2,095,305 Allison Oct. 12, 1937 2,145,866 Failla Feb. 7, 1939 2,371,636 McConnell Mar. 20, 1945 2,409,419 Christaldi Oct. 15, 1946 OTHER REFERENCES Technical Electricity, by Davidge and Hutchinson, 4th edition, page 149, published by University Tutorial Press Ltd., 1922. 

